Council

Dr Ulrich Bez, former CEO and later non‑executive chairman of Aston Martin, is a leading automotive engineer with a doctorate from the Technical University of Berlin. He previously held senior roles at Porsche, BMW and Daewoo, contributing to landmark models such as the Porsche 911 Turbo, Carrera RS 2.7, 968 and 993, and directing innovation at BMW Technik GmbH, including the BMW Z1. Under his leadership from 2000, Aston Martin evolved into a globally recognised luxury brand, launching over 20 significant models including the DB9, Vantage range, Vanquish, Rapide, One‑77 and V12 Zagato, while also re‑establishing a strong motorsport presence. He is an accomplished racing driver and author of Making Aston Martin (2013).

Carl-Peter Forster is the current Chair of Keller Group plc, Vesuvius plc and StoreDot and is a member of the following Boards; Babcock plc, The Mobility House AG, Kinexon GmbH Gordon Murray Design Ltd and Envisics Ltd. He has degrees in Economics and Aeronautical Engineering  and brings to the council vast experience in in management consultancy, engineering and global strategy.

Richard’s marketing and communications career began with fifteen years in advertising in New York, firstly as a Madison Avenue copywriter, and later as a strategic planner.He worked on a wide range of accounts, in the automotive, IT, luxury, media and travel sectors.

Richard returned to England and joined TWR, where he was the Director responsible for its road car design, engineering and manufacturing communications, as well as contributing to the Arrows F1 team sponsorship-generating activities.

Richard has written five articles for “Aston”, and recorded two podcasts. He is the son of Walter Hayes, the Chairman of Aston Martin Lagonda from 1991-1994, and from 1998-2000 the first Chairman of the Aston Martin Heritage Trust.

David Richards is Chairman of Prodrive, the world leading motorsport and advanced engineering business he established in 1983, and a former Chairman of the Aston Martin Lagonda car company. David is also Chairman of Motorsport UK, the governing body for motorsport in the UK, a role he assumed in January 2018. He represents the UK on the FIA World Motorsport Council and is Chairman of the FIA Foundation, an international road safety charity.David initially trained as an Accountant following which he spent eight years as a professional rally co-driver. He concluded his competition career in 1981 by winning the World Rally Championship as co-driver to Ari Vatanen.David then devoted his time to developing his business interests, which led to the creation of Prodrive. Over the last four decades the company has become one of the largest multi-disciplined motorsport businesses in the world, winning numerous championships in almost every category of the sport. During this time David spent five years in Formula 1® as Team Principal of the BAR F1 Team, achieving the runners up accolade in the 2004 FIA F1 World Championship.In the 2005 Queen’s New Year’s honours, David was made a Commander of the British Empire (CBE) for his services to motorsport. He has honorary doctorates and fellowships from the Universities of Wales, Coventry, Warwick and Cranfield.In 2017, he was inducted into the Motor Sport Hall of Fame and presented with the Spirt of Le Mans award by the Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO). In 2019, Autocar magazine presented him with their ‘Outstanding Leader Award’ and in May 2022, the Sturmey Award for Leadership for his role in reshaping Motorsport UK. In December 2022, the Guild of Motoring Writers’ presented David with their highly coveted Presidents’ Trophy for his achievements in international automobilism. In the same month, he received the President’s Award from the British Racing Drivers’ Club for his outstanding contribution as Head of Trustees for the BRDC Motor Sport Charity for over 20 years.

In December 2023, David was awarded The Viscount Downe Aston Martin Heritage Award for his major contribution to enhancing the heritage of the Aston Martin Marque and more recently voted by the European Journalist panel of AutoBest as their Motorsport Leader of 2024.

Marek is the Executive Vice President and Chief Creative Officer at AML.

Marek Paul Reichman is an English industrial designer who has created every new Aston Martin vehicle model over the last 17 years. He is presently responsible for all current and future design development and studio craftsmanship for Aston Martin Lagonda, PLC.

Marek has been credited for creating some of the world’s most iconic cars. These include the Aston Martin Valkyrie, DBX 707 SUV and One 77, and Rolls-Royce Phantom (Original Production Car). Marek has also created private homes, a residential tower, motorcycles, boats and yachts, helicopters and drones, and other objects of beauty, like the Bowmore Whiskey Mokume ARC52 Vessel and the Lavarack + Aston Martin Bicycle.

Marek is a private sector Great Campaign Council Member, the United Kingdom’s campaign to showcase the very best, inspiring the world to collaborate, visit, study, live, work and do business in the UK. He has more recently endeavoured into the world of Production Design, collaborating with Hollywood directors Antoine Fuqua (“Infinite”), Sam Mendes (“James Bond”), and Robert Zemeckis (“Here”).

HONOURS AND AWARDS
2022: Aston Martin DBR22 Named Best of Show at Pebble Beach Concours D’Elegance
2022: Aston Martin V12 Vantage – Best Sound Design – D&AD Awards
2021: Best Intntl’ Apartment/Condominium and Residential High-Rise Development at International Property Awards
2021: Aston Martin Valkyrie named Michelin Supercar Paddock Showstopper – Goodwood Festival of Speed
2020: Best Luxury SUV – GQ Car Awards
2020: Best Designed Car of the Year (DBX) – The Sunday Times Motor Awards
2020: Aston Martin DBX named Super-SUV of the Year at the TopGear.com Awards